Gallery: Batman Arkham Origins

Posted on May 20, 2013 by geelw

This recently announced prequel to the hugely successful Arkham series looks quite nice in that CG trailer and really gorgeous screens below, but I see that some fans are concerned that no Rocksteady at the wheel means the game won’t have the same quality. I say give this one a shot, as it’s from the same WB Games Montreal team that converted Batman Arkham City: Armored Edition to the Wii U (and did a stellar job, at that) and I seriously doubt that they’ll deviate much from what made the first two games work so well.

In fact, I’ll predict a few tweaks and improvements to the formula that make Origins an equal or better game (as it should be), simply because going backwards is NOT an option at all. Anyway, BAO is set to launch Oct. 25, 2013 for PC, PS3, Wii U and Xbox 360 along with Batman: Arkham Origins Blackgate for Nintendo 3DS and PlayStation Vita. Nope, I don’t have screens or video on that just yet – WB Games just sent one batarang through my window with these images and trailer for the console game, so I guess the other one will come crashing through as soon as I get the window replaced.

Oh, by the way… Deathstroke IS indeed going to be playable in the game’s Challenge Mode and fans who pre-order the game for PS3, Xbox 360 or PC version of Batman Arkham Origins will receive exclusive early access to the Deathstroke pack (sorry, Wii U owners… unless you get yours some other way that hasn’t been revealed yet).

Well, I guess it’s better than getting a strange box from the Joker with who knows what sort of surprise inside, right?

Batman: Arkham Origins Teaser: The Dark Knight Grouses…

Posted on May 16, 2013 by geelw

Man, that Bruce Wayne (er, Batman) sure is a real party-pooper, isn’t he? All that gloom and criminals are the scum of the earth stuff plus what looks like a vinegar and lemon diet make for one grumpy Darknight Detective, that’s for sure. Then again, this is ONLY the teaser for the upcoming game. The actual trailer drops on May 20, 2013… so I’m betting it’ll be even darker and grimmer. Hmmm… that man needs some cotton candy and a fancy paper hat, I think. Either that or he needs to stay in one night and maybe catch up on some old TV shows. Comedies, preferably…

Gravity Trailer: Some Very Weighty Issues In This Sci-Fi Deep Thinker…

Posted on May 9, 2013 by geelw

As soon as I heard this was directed by Alfonso Cuarón (the beautifully gloomy future flick Children of Men), Gravity went onto my “Well, THIS should be interesting…” list of movies to catch at some point. Granted, it will probably be depressing as hell and have a few of its bid deal cast members not survive until the finale, but hey – that’s the way the ball bounces. Or floats away, as I don’t think anything bounces in space. And no one can hear you scream, by the way (yeah, yeah, wrong movie!). Anyway, keep an eyeball peeled for this one, folks. It’ll at least look spectacular…

Man of Steel Trailer #3: NOW We’re Going Somewhere…

Posted on April 16, 2013 by geelw

Yeah, that’s more like it. Of course, given the buzz building up around this one, it’s still going to be polarizing at the end of the day because of the new, darker tone and weird Superman costume some still hate with a passion. Of course, I say let’s see this as a nice restart to a franchise that went off the rails after the second film (and even then, that second film was half of what it could have been thanks to a directorial change that added a wee bit too much funny stuff). If this new flick IS as amazing as it looks, I’m hoping there’s a story arc sitting in a safe somewhere that can be whipped out to ensure the same quality goes into that (inevitable) sequel…

Warner Bros. Pictures Wants You to Know That YOU ARE NOT ALONE

Posted on April 14, 2013 by geelw

Oh, you already knew that? Well, good for you. Here’s some double assurance (or just single assurance for you out there having a lonely Sunday in front of the TV with a big bowl of whatever) which is actually a really nice tickle and tease for Zach Snyder’s upcoming Superman reboot, The Man of Steel if you’re paying close enough attention. I like the way this plays on elements of Richard Donner’s film a tiny bit, but you know that Snyder’s got his own style working. Hmmm… I wonder if we’ll see other characters in the film get their own themed teasers? It would be nice to see, but that’s all up to the boys and gals in marketing and the director or an ad agency whipping up the right ad. Personally, I just want to see the film and less hype, but so it goes…

Movies You Didn’t Know You “Needed” A Sequel To (2): The Hangover Part III

Posted on April 11, 2013 by geelw

Yikes, AGAIN? OK, time out. Look, the first one was hilarious and unpredictable in a few ways and the second one felt as it was a tracing done by a wagon-load of monkeys on a very bad acid trip. This third installment in the Hangover series is giving me a hangover just from watching the trailer, but hey – it’ll do big at the box office I bet. Yeah, yeah, crude chuckles are here to spare (OK, I laughed twice), but I hope this is the final voyage of the starship Wolfpack, as you can’t go any further down unless you make the next one a straight to cable flick with an entirely new cast. Which is frightening enough for way too many reasons. Hmmm… let’s seven say months from that opening weekend to the DVD release, folks? Start your clocks in three, two, ONE…

Oh, how I miss the Marx Brothers…

Injustice: Gods Among Us TV Spot: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close…

Posted on April 11, 2013 by geelw

Hmmm… STILL no Swamp Thing in this game? OK, that’s a little in-joke there (VERY little), but WB Games and NetherRealm DO have a (wait for it) BIG hit on their hands which should be the go-to game for DC Comics fans for some time. I guess it would have been too much to ask to see that fighting engine get put to use in a more RPG-like setting, but I also guess that one day we’ll see a developer blend those styles and more successfully. There have been a few fighting game influenced role-playing experiences, but it’s been a while since there’s been one that REALLY packs a punch (oh, the puns…. the puns!). Anyway, this looks like a total blast, so I say buy it and grab a few friends for some fun on a rainy weekend. Of course, if I were in charge of the DLC, I’d add in Ally Babble, The Spectre, Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Plastic Man and The Creeper as bonus characters, but hey – my old comics memories can probably beat some of yours to death any day of the week (provided I get enough sleep the night before that big brain-battle)…

Batman: Arkham Origins: Current Gen Still Has It Going On, It Seems…

Posted on April 9, 2013 by geelw

Hmmm… I guess it HAD to happen, but with original developer Rocksteady Games not at the helm, will WB Games Montreal just be retreading the play mechanics from Arkham City in a different version of Gotham City packed full of familiar locations and possibly during different times of the day this installment? We shall see, of course and yeah, I’m too much of an optimist to think this talented dev team (which handled the superb Wii U enhanced “port” of Batman: Arkham City Armored Edition, by the way) is going to muck things up. THAT said, let’s hope they make this a game for the ages and fix a few of the issues even the mighty Rocksteady didn’t quite nail. One positive sign is the game is being made for every current-gen HD platform available, which means we’ll not only see a PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 version, but a new Wii U game as well.

The Vita and 3DS will finally get an Arkham game with Batman Arkham Origins: Blackgate, a “2.5D” action game from Armature Studios. Hopefully, both will be as close visually to the console games as possible and not too watered down or cartoony, as that’s almost always a disappointment in terms of continuity (well, at least in my book). Oh, for those wondering WHY Origins hasn’t been announced for the PS4 and next Xbox just yet, I’m guessing here, but I allow myself to do that once in a while for fun. Perhaps the guys and gals at Rocksteady ARE doing something on those consoles you don’t need to know about just yet, hmmmmm?

I say wait and see… but don’t be too surprised if it’s a new Arkham game or this one but done entirely in house and packed with visual punch to knock a room full of drooling fanboys to the nearest space station. *POW!* Watch this space…

Injustice: Gods Among Us TV Spot: Abbott & Costello Meet The DC Universe…

Posted on April 9, 2013 by geelw

Or something like that. I’ve been following this game, but not those big celebrity filled trailers and weekly battle deals. I’d rather just dive into Injustice cold and play it at my leisure, unlocking characters and goodies as I go. Anyway, I think that Abbott & Costello idea above is the next flick Kevin Smith should consider doing, as he and Jason Mewes certainly aren’t getting any younger and it’s time they did something together that’s NOT another Jay & Silent Bob deal. Well, this ad was a fine enough (and funny) start, so I guess we’ll see what’s what soon enough (or later enough). As long as it’s not that Clerks flick his stuck in the 90’s fans want so much for him to make, it’ll probably be at least interesting to watch. That and hey, someone needs to keep Mewes off the streets – I hear he’s nothing but trouble like a bobcat dropped into a baby shower (er… ha, ha?)…

The Conjuring Trailer: Hell Is Other People (And How)…

Posted on April 2, 2013 by geelw

the conjuring Oh, this new trailer for the upcoming WB flick is nice and creepy, but just what is this obsession with revisiting elements from The Ring and other scarier flicks these Hollywood horror directors seem to have? Not that I don’t mind a good horror flick that’s influenced by others from time to time, but here’s another one that gives weird little girls a bad name. And don’t get me started on the whole “inspired by actual events” thing that really means “Oh yeah? PROVE it!” to a super jerk skeptic like myself.

Anyway, hey! I think we NEED weird little girls (and boys) who crawl up walls to grow up and become weirder women (and men) with that talent and I bet you’d agree with me (well, a little). That’s where some really great art comes from when that weirdness gets channeled in the right ways. And yep, having an outlet for one’s inside voices is a REALLY important thing. Otherwise, yeah… you get a gal (or guy) that makes YOU crawl up a wall because she’s/he’s wonderfully loopy to a fault (and drives anyone within a certain radius out of their minds for a few not quite good reasons). That 21-way intersection of Crazy Street and Cute Avenue is never a safe street to cross, folks…